Inky Leaves is a place for artists, historians and scientists. It is a site of exploration, discovery and documentation. The idea behind Inky Leaves began in 2005 as I developed a passion for drawing plants. My desire to illustrate was related to my deep fascination with the botanical world, my need to explore plant function and morphology, understand it, and most importantly record all the elements. Sometimes the drawings would be very diagrammatical, other times they would be heavily annotated, but most of my work would always try to convey the beauty of the subject matter.

Inky Leaves is a collection of photographs, drawings, paintings, notes and letters made by me on my journey of discovery as a botanist.

Herbaria are collections of preserved plants which are usually dried and mounted on card along with their collection data. They are often great places for inspiration – rather like a three-dimensional library. There is something very exciting and spooky about unwrapping and then seeing a ‘mummified’ plant that may have been picked 200 years ago, especially if the flowers have retained their vivid colour. I trained as a botanist at Plymouth University before studying taxonomy at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. I now work in a museum in Devon looking after an 18th century herbarium.